The Swedish parliament on Thursday voted to ratify the European Union's Lisbon reform treaty, making the Scandinavian country the 25th of the 27 EU members to approve the text.
  
"The parliament has decided to approve the EU's Lisbon Treaty," it said in a short statement following the vote that dragged into the late hours Thursday.
  
"The Lisbon Treaty is, in the parliament's opinion, better than the current treaty and strengthens the EU in important areas," it added.
  
The parliament did not specify the number of votes in favour of the text, which replaces the bloc's doomed constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.
  
The TT news agency however reported that it was approved with 243 votes in favour, 39 against and 13 abstaining, while 54 members of parliament were absent.
  
The treaty, which is aimed at streamlining the EU's workings to take into account its mainly eastwards expansion, requires the approval of all 27 EU member states.
  
The text was rejected by Ireland in a June referendum, and the Czech Constitutional Court is set to decide on November 25 on the treaty's compliance with the country's constitution.